Improvement in army-trunks



N, PETERS. PHOTG-LIYHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENTFFICE.

BENJAMIN ANDREWS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INI PROVEM ENT I N ARMY-TRUNKS.

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,628, dated November5, 1861.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN ANDREWS, of the city of Philadelphia, inthe State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inCamp-Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of thesame, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a persective view of the inventionapplied to a traveling-trunk and extended for use; Fig. 3, a verticallongitudinal section of the same as folded within the trunk, and Fig. 2a vertical longitudinal section of the same removed from the trunkandsupported in an extended position upon its legs as a bedstead.

Like letters indicate the same parts when in the dierent gures.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar construction andarrangement hereinafter described and specified, whereby a mattress anda suitable supporting frame or platform therefor are adapted to beinclosed together Within the lid of a common traveling-trunk, so as toleave the main body of the interior of the said trunk unobstructed orunoccupied thereby, and also ad mit of the said mattress and platformbeing extended and supported either upon the opened trunk or upon thelegs of the platform independently of the said trunk, so as to producein either case an elevated and comfortable bedstead for camp-service.

In the drawings, A represents the mattress,

B its supporting-platform, and C the traveling-trunk.

The mattress A, I generally make of curled hair inclosed in a case ofsoftleather and afterward tufted in the usual manner, as indicated inFig. 1. Its supporting-platform B consists of a middle portion b', whosewidth and length correspond with the width and length,

respectively, of the interior of the trunk e, to

which it is to be applied; a foot portion b, which is of the same widthas and a little shorter than the middle portion b', and to which latterit is hinged so that it can be either folded over upon it with themattress A between, as seen in Fig. 3, or turned outward, as in Figs. 1and 2, and a head portion b", which is about half the length of b andpivoted near to one end of the latter, so that it may be readily foldedinward upon the same, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, or outward, so as torest in an inclined position upon the upper edge of b', as seen in theperspective figure and also in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The middleportion b of the said platform is fastened down upon the upper side of atray or shallow box D, which rests loosely upon cleats e e, attached tothe inner side of lthe trunkbody C, so that the lower edges of the saidportion b and of b when opened out shall be in the saine plane with theupper edges of the body of the trunk, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and thepart b is provided with a drop-leg f, which supports it when opened outand extended horizontally, as seen in Figs. l and 2, or lies {iatly uponthe upper side of b when the latter is folded down upon b', as seen inFig. 3.

rl`he mattress A is nailed down fast to the inner side of b and also toa portion of that of b', leaving about half the length of the saidmattress free to be turned upward and outward, as seen in Fig. 2, toallow access to the lid g of the tray D, and also to permit the headportion b" of the platform B either to be turned inward thereon, as seenin Figs. 2 and 3, or outward, so as to serve as a support to the headend of the mattress A, as indicated by the dotted lines in the same-figure and fully shown in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of supporting the platform B and mattress A together ata suitable height above the f ground when the same are separated fromthe trunk C, four legs h h are pivoted to the sides at points near thefour corners of the tray D, so that the said legs can either be turneddownward for the purpose, as seen in Fig. 2, or folded up close alongits sides, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

In the operation of this invention, when it is desired to inclose itWithin the trunk, the different parts described are to be foldedtogether in relation to each other in the manner seen in Fig. 3, and thelid C of the trunk, being then shut down7 receives within it the teriorof the tray D and of the body of 'the trunk C unobstructed thereby, andwhen it whole platform and mattress, leaving the inis desired to use theinvention as a bcdstead the lid C oi' the trunk is tobe fully raised,the portion b ot' the platform B turned outward and rested upon itsdrop-1eg f, andthe loose part of: the mattress A then turned outwardover upon it, as seen in Fig. 2. The head portion b" of the platform Bis noW to beturned outward, so as to rest upon ZJ in the inclinedposition indicated by the dotted lines in the same ligure, and finallythe loose end of the mattress A returned, so as to rest extended uponthem, as seen in Fig. l, thus Vforming upon the open trunk a raised andcomfortable bed; and when it is desired to have it a raised bed separatefrom the trunk it is only necessary to lift "the platform and itsattachments out and turn down the four legs h h, so that they, inconnection with the drop-leg f, may support it, as seen in Fig. 2.

Having thus fully described my improved cainp-bedstead, what I claim asmy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The folding platform B, in combination with themattress A, tray D,and drop-leg f, the sar'ne being constructed and arranged to operatetogether in combination With a trunk, Whether closed or opened,substantially in the manner described and set forth, and for the purposespecified.

2. In combination with the said platform B. mattress A, tray D, anddrop-legf, constructed and arranged to operate as described, the legs hh, attached thereto so as to operate in the manner described and setforth, and forV the purpose specified.

BENJN. ANDREWS.

Witnesses:

BENJ. MoRIsoN, B. F. SHATTUCK.

